They were promised a larger-than-life, interactive Barbie Dreamhouse, an ’80s-themed roller-skating party and a glittery pink day in Barbieland.
Instead, fans of the world’s most popular doll who trekked to the “Barbie Dream Fest” in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, were met with a cardboard cutout of the idyllic house and a tiny, kids-only roller “rink,” a far cry from what was advertised on Instagram.
The event took place from Friday to Sunday at the Broward County Convention Center. In promotional posts on Instagram, it touted a Barbie fashion show, A-list speakers, meet-and-greets, workshops, interactive exhibits, games, screenings, yoga and more. Adult ticket prices ranged from a $69 day pass to the $449 “Dream Pass” with other pricing and accessibility options in between.
But two attendees who spoke to NBC News said they were sorely disappointed with the lack of pink, glitter and excitement that they said was expected — especially for the prices they paid to get in.
“It just makes me laugh, because if I don’t laugh, I’ll cry,” said Brenna Miller, who was among the many attendees who posted videos online about the event.
As images and videos began to circulate online, people began drawing comparisons to other overpromised, underdelivered festivals online, like 2017’s fraudulent Fyre Festival and the more recent disastrous Willy Wonka-inspired experience in Glasgow, Scotland.
The fan disappointment was echoed in the community dedicated to Barbie on Reddit, where many called out the organizers for such a chaotic event. “They really should give everyone a ‘I survived Barbie Nightmare Fest’ stickers,” one Reddit user wrote, later adding, “WE GOT WONKA’D!”
A spokesperson for Mattel, Barbie’s parent company, said the event was “created by Mischief Management, which licensed the Barbie brand from Mattel.”
“We are working with Mischief Management, who are managing attendee feedback and issuing full refunds to everyone who purchased tickets,” the spokesperson said. “We want every fan experience to be an excellent one.”
Mischief Management confirmed in a statement that the company will be providing full refunds to everyone who purchased tickets to the event.
“Mischief Management is incredibly grateful to everyone who joined Barbie Dream Fest,” the statement said. “Bringing fans together — alongside Barbie role models, designers, partners, and global icons who embody the true spirit of Barbie — was at the heart of this event. Barbie Dream Fest was created as an intimate fan convention designed to foster meaningful connection, inspiration, and closer access to Barbie and her world.”
Misfit Toys Communications, which helped announce the event in conjunction with Mattel and Mischief Management, said in an email that the company terminated its contract with the event producers in October “due to lack of payment and our concern that the event was not shaping up to be what was originally described.”
Miller, a social worker from upstate New York, said she has found her home in her Barbie community. She bought tickets in December, dishing out nearly $500 on a VIP, three-day pass for the event — the “Dream Pass.” Cost of flights and hotels were not included in the ticket price.
But from the jump, Miller, 40, said the event was unorganized. There was no separate line for VIPs to enter and, as she walked in, she was given multiple Barbie merch items to hold, but workers told her they did not have bags for the items.
The merch table was selling posters from the 2024 Barbie concert tour for $20, and the cheapest Barbie dolls being sold for $25 were gone after just a few hours. Miller said she paid more to sit in the front during speaking events, but no one even checked her ticket when she took her seat.
Alexandria Dougan, 33, described similar frustrations.
She went to “Barbie Dream Fest” with her sister and her niece, who was celebrating her seventh birthday. Each adult spent $70 for a day pass to the event, and an additional $30 for her niece. But the trio only ended up spending about an hour at the convention center before leaving for the day. The event was supposed to be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., she said.
The hall was “humongous” and the event company couldn’t fill it, leaving empty floor and unimpressive displays, Dougan said. While vendors had set up stands, none of what they were selling or promoting was included in the price of the ticket, including the heavily-promoted “glam bar,” she said.
Vendors also seemed confused by the Dreamhouse, or lack thereof, she said. But the nail in the coffin for her family was the bike course, which her niece was most excited for.
When they reached the front of the bike line Saturday, Dougan’s niece was told she was too tall for the bikes they had available, and that all of the larger-sized ones had broken the day before.
“It just felt heartbreaking to see her, because you could tell she was just watching other kids go in front of her, who were waiting behind us, to go in front to ride the bike,” Dougan said of her niece.
Miller said a friend she went to the event with was most looking forward to the roller rink. But when they got there, the pair learned there were only kid-sized skates — none of which would fit adult feet.
“I keep seeing people like saying, ‘Oh, this was for kids. Adults are upset because they signed up for a kid event,'” Miller said. “If you look at the promotional material that they use, it is adults roller skating … it’s adults dancing. It is adults. We’re the ones that are spending the money. Children don’t have $450.”
The roller-skating “rink,” she said, was essentially an “animal pen” with sheets that said “roller disco.” The interactive Dreamhouse was just a 10-foot-tall cardboard cutout sitting next to a Volkswagen van.
Mischief Management followed through with some promises. Serena Williams, Angel Reese, Marlee Matlin and other popular celebrities were in attendance and held speaking events. As did the Mattel designers who are responsible for making Barbie.
But if fans wanted a photo with any of the celebrities, there was an additional lofty price tag. A photo with Williams cost almost $400, according to a screenshot provided by Miller, and each celebrity was priced in different “tiers,” she said.
Miller thought that was “weird” because “these are strong women, too. Like, these are leaders. These are role models. And I felt like the festival put a price on their value.” She added: “These are women in STEM, in sports, in a lot of men’s areas. So to put a dollar amount on them, I would have felt so insulted.”
Representatives for Williams, Reese and Matlin did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
It wasn’t all bad — both Dougan and Miller commended the Michael’s chain for having the best stand and activity at the entire event. Dougan and her niece took free photos, decorated free frames to take home and were also given goodie bags full of art supplies from the store.
And both Dougan and Miller said that they received emails confirming the prices of their tickets will be fully refunded.
Overall, however, Dougan described “Barbie Dream Fest” as a “complete flop.”
“There should have been some type of overseeing of events or backup plan or to make sure it is what you posted on social media, because it was not that,” Dougan said
Miller was a bit more forgiving, noting that this was the first “Barbie Dream Fest” and that she didn’t expect perfection. But what she experienced was far below that bar.
“Barbie’s the No. 1 selling toy in the world. She is an icon for 67 years. She represents so, so much,” Miller said. “And this was not at the caliber of Barbie at all.”
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